Passenger demand increases as supply chain issues persist

Home
»
Stories
»
2025
»
January

GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Qatar Airways In Talks To Buy 20% Of Virgin Australia - Airline Ratings

Boeing Will Buy Spirit AeroSystems For $4.7 Billion In Stock & Airbus Enters $559 Million Agreement For Its Parts

Bombardier Global Jet Production Stops in Toronto as Union Workers Strike | AIN

Justice Department To Offer Boeing a Plea Deal Related to Max Crashes

Global Industry News

Passenger demand increases as supply chain issues persist

Research

Peter Cerda Regional Vice President, The Americas | International Air Transport Association - IATA

By Sky Industry News

Jan 9, 2025

Passenger demand for air travel saw an increase of 8.1% in November compared to the same month in 2023, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The rise in demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was accompanied by a 5.7% increase in total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK). The load factor reached a record high for November at 83.4%, which is an increase of 1.9 percentage points from the previous year.

International travel experienced significant growth with an 11.6% rise in demand and an 8.6% increase in capacity compared to November 2023. The load factor for international flights was also at 83.4%, up by 2.3 percentage points. This growth was largely driven by carriers in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Domestic travel saw a more modest increase, with demand rising by 3.1% and capacity growing by 1.5%. The domestic load factor stood at 83.5%, marking a rise of 1.2 percentage points from November of the previous year.

Get the Newsletter

Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, commented on the situation: “November was another month of strong growth in the demand for air travel with an overall expansion of 8.1%. The month was also another reminder of the supply chain issues that are preventing airlines from getting the aircraft they need to meet growing demand." He added that "Capacity growth is lagging demand by 2.4 ppts and load factors are at record levels."

Regionally, Asia-Pacific airlines led with a notable year-on-year demand increase of 19.9%, while European carriers saw a rise of 9.4%. Middle Eastern airlines reported an increase of 8.7%, and North American carriers experienced a more modest growth rate of 3.1%.

In terms of domestic markets, China recorded a significant RPK growth rate of 10.5%, while India saw an even higher increase at 13.3%. In contrast, the US domestic market contracted by 2.7%, continuing a downward trend since June.

The statistics were compiled using direct airline reporting complemented by estimates and FlightRadar24 data under license.